Indoor Air Quality Assessments in Educational Facilities in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) assessments conducted in classrooms in hot arid regions differ greatly from cases found in the general literature due to variations in sociocultural context, climatic conditions, building design, and operation. This paper aims to create a systematic review on IAQ of educational buildings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) within the past 25 years, identify pollution risks, and indicate gaps in investigations. The review covers a collection of IAQ indices from subjective investigations, experimental studies, simulation work, physical environmental measurements, and statistical analysis from multi-disciplinary fields to introduce a holistic overview. This review is significant since investigations for such context with complete reliance on mechanical air-conditioning (AC), are limited in number and level of details. Using PRISMA guidelines, 17 original studies were found to fit the review criterion; some were unique in terms of examined variables. Among the reviewed studies, classroom CO2 concentrations and some of the measured indoor air pollutants were significantly higher than the values recommended by reference standards. Serious health risks and bacterial contaminations were associated with poor AC systems and inefficient ventilation. Implementation of practical guidelines is recommended to mitigate indoor environmental issues in classrooms and reduce their physical and psychological impact on occupants.